When looking at her new post within the Diocese of Fall River as principal of the Espírito Safnto Parochial School, Heidi Kuliga sees an opportunity for improvement.

“We’ve looked at the data,” she said. “We seem to have a great language arts program, but the math could be improved.”

Kuliga comes to Espírito Santo School after being an educator within the diocese for more than 20 years. She spent most of those years teaching at Holy Family Holy Name School in New Bedford, where she said her population was different.

“You’re going to experience more Hispanic culture mixed in with the Portuguese there,” she said. “This (Espírito Santo) is definitely a Portuguese culture.”

That is the way it was intended when the school opened its doors on Sept. 19, 1910. The building where the original school was located also served as the center for the Espírito Santo Church, a Portuguese parish that is today located right across the street from the school. That changed in 1963, when a new church and school were built to accommodate the growing Portuguese population of the time, according to the school’s website.

About 90 percent of the 205 students at the school are of Portuguese descent, according to the Espírito Santo School website. Of that student body, about 70 percent are considered bilingual. This creates something of a personal challenge for Kuliga.

“I’m not bilingual,” she said. “I have to rely a lot on my secretary and Portuguese teacher to communicate with some parents.”

“Someday I’ll master a Portuguese language DVD,” she said.

Still, the old links between the parish and the school are what she feels are the strongest pillars upon which the institution is built, allowing the school to remain open without much difficulty.

“It’s going to be around for a while,” she said. “The parish and the school work really well together… We’re really blessed to have that relationship.”